Iraida Huertas(left), of the Onondaga Earth Corps, sprays water on a model village to demonstrate how ground water becomes polluted from runoff and how trees and plants assist in cleaningthe water during the last year's Green Festival at Kirk Park. Children listening are (from left) Wesleyne Miles, 11, Symone Mitchell, 9, and Nadja Holloway, 12.David Lassman/The Post-Standard, 2011

Mary Kay DeVore
Contributing writer

The Onondaga Earth Corps organizers had a year full of exemplary accomplishments and they are eager to work on a number of exciting projects over the course of the next 12 months.

In 2012, crew members of the nonprofit organization with a mission of empowering youth to be active participants in creating positive change for their communities and the environment, contributed more than 4,100 hours of service toward raising environmental awareness and green projects in Syracuse.

“Youth and our adult crew built three rain gardens, hosted more than 20 educational events, educated more than 2,400 youth and adults, planted 30 trees, helped to sustain the Southwest Community Farm, maintained four green parking lots, and much more,” said Greg Michel, director of the Onondaga Earth Corps.

There were some sizable undertakings that included educating the community about green infrastructure through the Onondaga County Save the Rain campaign and piloting the maintenance of several green infrastructure installations at Syracuse- and Onondaga County-owned parking lots.

In addition, the group started a collaboration with Partnership for Onondaga Creek and Onondaga Environmental Institute to build youth leaders focused on the environment and social justice. They will work with youth ages 11 to 14 in the Young Eco-’Cuse Explorers program and look for further employment opportunities through Onondaga Earth Corps and internship opportunities.

The Onondaga Earth Corps office and classroom is at the State University of New York Educational Opportunity Center in Syracuse.

This past year, there were 25 crew members who worked during the spring, summer and fall employment programs. Along with Michel, there is a program coordinator, support staff person, and core group of board members, interns and volunteers.

While the team is small, their passion is massive and that spreads out to the youth involved as well as the entire community, organizers said.

“The most memorable moment of 2012 was the accomplishment of our summer crew. Their effort designing and implementing the Youth Led Project and the annual Green Festival were phenomenal,” said Twiggy Billue, program coordinator for the Onondaga Earth Corps.

The staff and crew planned, organized and implemented both events and really took pride in their work throughout the community, Billue said.

“Watching the growth in each youth was amazing,” Billue said. “Their presentation to the Gifford Foundation at Bishop Forey on the water cycle, porous pavement and the importance of green infrastructure was tremendous and very educational for the funders from across the country that attended.”

This year, organizers look forward to continuing their role with the Onondaga County Save the Rain Outreach Program, hosting workshops on green infrastructure for community members, children and youth, and anticipate helping again with the maintenance of green infrastructure in the city. There are plans to develop community-driven demonstration projects and utilize videos and social media to extend their reach especially to youth.

The collaboration on youth leadership with Partnership for Onondaga Creek and Onondaga Environmental Institute also will continue this year with a focus on food security.

The Young Eco-’Cuse Explorers meet once a month during this year-long program where they will learn about where food comes from and what it takes to create the food they eat. They will have an opportunity to grow their own food, learn to cook and work on a research project about food security.

The program will culminate with a celebration and the opportunity for parents to experience what their children learned through a presentation and tasting of some dishes prepared from the food they grew.

The first meeting was held this month with the topic of discussion about their favorite foods and a Jeopardy-style quiz. In February, youth will prepare some of those items they talked about.

“We start with the fun stuff to plant a seed of curiosity,” said Michel. “We will learn throughout the year more about access to food and healthier food. It will give our youth a good experiential feel for it.”